Your Secret Love

Personnel includes: Luther Vandross, Lisa Fischer, Deidra "Spin" Roper (vocals); Marcus Miller (various instruments, programming, background vocals); Paul Jackson, Jr. (acoustic guitar, guitar); Reed Vertelney (strings, keyboards, bass, drums, programming); John "Skip" Anderson (strings, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, bass, drums, programming); Mark Hollingworth, Darryl Richards (flute); Everett Harp (alto saxophone); Kirk Whalum (saxophone); Nat Adderley, Jr. (vibraphone, piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Byron Miller (bass); Ivan Hampden (drums, percussion, programming); Paulinho DaCosta (percussion); David I. Ward II (programming); Cindy Mizelle, Cissy Houston, Cheryl Lynn (background vocals).
Producers: Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Nat Adderley, Jr..
The title track from YOUR SECRET LOVE won a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. It was also nominated for Best R&B Song.
An album for lovers, plain and simple. Lovers of others, lovers of smooth, soulful music, and, most of all, lovers of Luther Vandross' singular vocal talent. There's nothing really new here, and that's probably the way it should be--why mess with success? The arrangements are tasteful, spare and elegant. The songs--all ballads, most of them in the mold of the clean, airy, atmospheric funk Luther has specialized in through the years--are about the love emotion, and all the emotional entanglements it brings out.
"Love Don't Love You Anymore" is a haunting number, replete with treated, bells-in-heaven background vocals, and this warning: "See, love is a society, any fool cannot belong." Yes, this is Luther's universe, no doubt. And check this, Stevie fans: Luther covers a song that could have been written just for him, the exquisite "Knocks Me Off My Feet." Put an extra log on the fire, or light a few candles, lay down, throw Luther on the box and well, you know the rest.